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From the Archives: Reviews of the Heavy Trash album (by crunchy.dk 19. May 2005)

Both International and Danish media has made an exceptionally good reception of the duo extraordinaire, Jon Spencer and Matt Verta-Ray as the rockabilly nouveau outfit called Heavy Trash. Read on to get updated on reviews and get linked up with online interviews.

»Stripping to the bone they’ve cut an album of oldschool organic rockabilly (…) This is neo-acoustic, down-‘n’-dirty, scratchy guitar-driven rock’n’roll that sounds like it comes from the beginning of time; a mix of murder ballads and mesmerising chugs recorded in the kind of valve studio where you can feel the music getting laid down, smell the beer on the vocal mic and feel the sex of the grooves.«
Rating: 8/10
— Classic Rock (May, 2005), read the full review here.

»Verta-Ray and Spencer once again flirt with the dirt, but they approach it with an intelligence and charm that makes Heavy Trash a breeze of a listen. (…) quite frankly, they consistently write infectious and well-crafted songs.«
Rating: 7/10 (Damn Good)
— PopMatters.com (15 April, 2005), read the full review here.

»The perfect party appetizer for you to whirl right around and press play again.«
Rating: 7
— SleazeGrinder.com (13 May, 2005), read the full review here.

»Spencer’s Heavy Trash starts the party with a bang. (…) bleary-eyed drinking sentiments, truck driving swongs and warbling steel guitars so spooky and spectral you half expect Johnny Cash to ride up on a horse and shoot you between the eyes.«
Rating: 3
— MOJO (4 May, 2005), read the full review here.

»(…) a melding of blues, noise, and old school rock n’ roll dipped in subtle electronica and dabbed with a whole lot of balls. This is Heavy Trash.«
Rating: 4/4 (Really Rocks)
— Life In A Bungalo.com (20 April 2005), read the full review here.

»Spencer is in top form throughout, dropping hilarious asides, hiccupping and whooping, crooning and howling like an unholy blend of Elvis, Gene Vincent and Lux Interior [The Cramps]. He and Verta-Ray create a sound that is warm, rich and live, layering acoustic and electric guitars, percussion and Christina Campenella’s sultry backing vocals into a rollicking, thrilling modern rockabilly record that puts everyone who has attempted such an enterprise since Songs the Lord Taught Us to shame.«
Rating: 4/5
— AllMusic.com, read the full review here.

»Takes the listener to the dark side of Saturday night.«
Rating: 4/5
— JunkMedia.org (7 April 2005), read the full review here.

»Songs you could picture John Travolta and Uma Thurman dancing to at Jackrabbit Slim’s in heroin-and-coke-fueled abandon, and songs you’d wail along to along on a lost highway at 3 AM. (…) It’ll make you move your hips and incite some lustful activity. It’s as rockabilly as it should be: dirty, sexy and proud of it.«
— Kaffeine Buzz (4 March 2005), read the full review here.

INTERVIEWS

LowCut — Interview with Jon Spencer
»It was a Tuesday afternoon, and I was on my way to the biggest interview of my life. The famous Jon Spencer, from bands like Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and Pussy Galore, had accepted to do an interview with us – and I was petrified. Why should I be scared of this man?« (LowCut #25, 2005) Read the full article here.

Calgary’s News & Entertainment Weekly — Spontaneous combustion
»The days of kicking your oversized garbage to the curb may be gone, but the weight and age of hulking sofas and yawning refrigerators recall a time when the world was less complicated, music was more honest and people revelled in the simpler things in life. In that respect, Heavy Trash is a perfect fit for Verta-Ray and his iconic friend and musical partner Jon Spencer, as their indulgence in vintage rockabilly does exactly the same thing.« (21 April 2005) Read the full article here.